I briefly scanned other topics and didn't see this. Not a huge soccer fan, but this sounds like big news.

The Seattle Sounders and Tottenham Hotspur are finalizing the transfer of U.S. national team star Clint Dempsey, who is expected to be introduced as the newest Sounder as early as Saturday, multiple sources told ESPNFC.com.

Nice. The addition of Dempsey is great but there are stil holes in the midfield, defense, and at goalkeeper (unless Gspurning comes back). Martins, Johnson, and Dempsey would be a formidable front. However, Martins may be hurt therefore necessitating the acquisition of Dempsey. He was on the ground for awhile during the final minutes of the last game. He did come back but maybe he re-tweaked something. He's had some health issues all season.

hawkfan68 wrote:Nice. The addition of Dempsey is great but there are stil holes in the midfield, defense, and at goalkeeper (unless Gspurning comes back). Martins, Johnson, and Dempsey would be a formidable front. However, Martins may be hurt therefore necessitating the acquisition of Dempsey. He was on the ground for awhile during the final minutes of the last game. He did come back but maybe he re-tweaked something. He's had some health issues all season.

Pulling off a move for Clint Freakin' Dempsey means it's been happening for awhile behind the scenes. It has nothing to do with Martins. And Hanneman is supposedly back and healthy at goalkeeper, so he's quality. We'll see what happens on defense, but I think Dempsey will at least facilitate a little more possession, and honestly the sounders have needed a play-maker in the middle for a long time. It's a hole filled, IMO.

Edit: Deal is supposedly 4 years, 32 million with a 9 million dollar transfer fee. Holy Snikeys! Expect his face to be all over ads both nationally and locally for the foreseeable future.

What a signing for the Sounders and MLS. This must mean the end of EJ. He is on a cheap contract Hurtado makes more than him), has barely played this season and has not done great when partnered with Martins.

Glasgow Seahawk wrote:What a signing for the Sounders and MLS. This must mean the end of EJ. He is on a cheap contract Hurtado makes more than him), has barely played this season and has not done great when partnered with Martins.

Not sure where you get the "barely played" bit. He's played, and started, 12 of Seattle's 19 games. And most of the ones he's missed have been because he's been with the National Team.

You are absolutely entitled to state your opinion whenever you wish, and I am absolutely entitled to point out the stupidity of that opinion with the same frequency.

Dempsey is a focal point of a team kind of player, not surprising he didn't succeed at spurs, where bale was the clear center. Put him in a prime role and he will thrive, he did at Fulham, he does with the USMNT and he will with the sounders.

Okay, I'm not going to make any friends by asking this because I'm a Timbers fan, but how is this allowed by MLS rules? 2013 allocation rankings would show the following priority on aquiring Dempsey:

1-Portland2- Seattle

For those not familiar, here's a summary "The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a U.S. National Team player who signs with MLS after playing abroad, or a former MLS player who returns to the League after having gone to a club abroad for a transfer fee".

Now you may say "ah yes, but Seattle just opened up a designated player slot". True, BUT the DP slot only applies to players that are new to the MLS. Dempsey is not new because he played with the revolution.

Alright, give me crap because I like the Timbers, but explain to me how this works out with the league?

Edit: And if it is true, congrats to ya'l. I'd be freakin excited too.

Smurf wrote:Dempsey is a focal point of a team kind of player, not surprising he didn't succeed at spurs, where bale was the clear center. Put him in a prime role and he will thrive, he did at Fulham, he does with the USMNT and he will with the sounders.

This sums the situation up well, Smurf.

Dempsey played quite a lot for us, usually high up the pitch on the left or as a forward/attacking mid. He scored some key goals for Spurs last season, including a goal late on to give us the lead against United at Old Trafford. Despite Spurs likely losing Bale we have Siggurdsson, Holtby, Chadli and Paulinho in similar positions to those Dempsey plays so a move elsewhere is probably best for him if he wants consistent minutes. He's a good player, especially when given freedom to roam, and I hope he scores a tonne of goals for Seattle.

As a moderate soccer and Sounders fan, I think this is pretty awesome.

My biggest hurdle in getting overly invested in the Sounders or MLS is the 2nd/3rd tier status the league currently has. I've grown up rooting for teams that play at the top level of their sport, be it MLB, NFL, NBA, etc. I have a hard time getting too excited about a league that only gets top names when they're over the hill and ready to retire. And a league that gets as much national notice as the WNBA.

That's why I'm most excited about the Dempsey to Sounders move. Not because it makes our team bad ass and a title contender. But because it will hopefully step up the bar for what it takes to be a top team in the MLS. Hopefully the Sounders along with LA, and the NY teams will start spending serious cash to bring in some real talent. And that the rest of the league will be forced to follow. Spending real money is the ONLY way the MLS will ever be anything more than a 3rd rate minor league in comparison to the leagues in Europe. I don't expect the MLS to ever be on par with the top Euro leagues. But it would be nice to see it be included in the next tier, and not considered a joke.

And that brings me to my last point. I've read comments on a couple popular American soccer sites. A good deal of American fans are mad about Dempsey coming to the MLS. They view it as our best player giving up on proving himself at the top level. They refer to him coming here as "limping back to the US". To them the EPL is the pinnacle of soccer. And if the USA's top players aren't playing there, they aren't proving their worth. Not just that, but in terms of the USMT, having Dempsey play against inferior MLS talent does him a disservice in that he won't be as ready for the World Cup as he would've been had he been playing in the EPL. Now, I don't exactly buy all of this thinking. I think a lot of it stems from a soccer snob mentality that feels the Euro leagues are the only ones that matter, and that leads fans to want to see American players play at the top level and prove that they're worthy to the rest of the world. I think this mentality is a bit short-sighted in that it 1,000% precludes the MLS or American soccer to ever grow beyond the lame, inferior, who-gives-a-crap league that it currently is. Sure, so Dempsey doesn't brand Europe with a big US-of-A logo. Oh well. So what. They wouldn't have cared anyway. To me, it's more about growing our own league beyond the worldwide joke it currently is. And to do that, it means getting name players before they're past their primes. And that is the case with Dempsey. Bring it on, as far as I'm concerned.

@ZeroHero65. 1st, congrats on the timbers getting Caleb Porter. Fantastic coach, and you can already see the direction he's taking you. 2nd, It is my understanding, and the understanding of many others, that Dempsey did not enter the allocation order due to the contract and the Transfer fee involved. It was more of a club going and getting a player, rather than a USMNT player coming back to MLS.

It is also VERY, VERY possible we gave Portland something for the top spot in allocation that hasn't been announced yet (some talk between sounders fans was Zakuani + 1st Round Draft Pick).

It is also possible that Portland felt it was too much money and simply passed on Dempsey...this obviously being the least likely.

That said, it is very confusing to follow and the league NEEDS better transparency on subjects like this. Earlier this year "Retention Funds" showed up and Sporting KC gave Graham Zusi a fat raise (and sounders gave Hurtado a raise too). If I were you....I'd be more interested in wondering how we opened a DP slot up at all....I'd never heard that was even possible...It was my understanding that if you are a DP, you're a DP until your sold or your contract is up.

Dempsey's first home match in Rave Green will be against the Timbers infront of 60k+....so that'll be fun.

@Hawkspur

Thanks. I try and pay pretty close attention to US players and their clubs, and how they fit into their clubs. I was furious when he left Fulham for Spurs....but I understood, he wanted to chase that Champions League glory....

Dempsey is a fantastic player and plays better when "He's the guy".....Think Montero...without the South American antics and radical inconsistency. He can be gritty, classy, sneaky, hard-nosed and wondrous in a span of 20 minutes.

@Seatown81

Every time a club goes out and gets a big name player their is a club that tries to one up them. LA went and got Beckham, and some teams picked up guys here and there...then Henry, Keane and Cahill arrived (and boy are they good). Sounders meanwhile tried to "be smart" with their money bringing in lesser known players who could get the job done.

Ljungberg - Sounders started their DP's off with a big splash. Made a lot of noise with this signing, and forced people to pay attention. He was instrumental in the first year here but tapered off in 2010, when it was becoming evident that Montero was the face of the franchise not Ljungberg.

Montero - Our rising star we had to hold onto for as long as possible. Given the money of a DP to keep him here until he felt he was ready for Europe...which is where he is now...N'kufo - Half a season and then done. Fernandez - A few seasons, but ultimately over-paid his worth (I would kill to have him back on our team at a lesser contract). Christian Tiffert - A great player, who was unserimoniously let go in favor of the potential of Oba Martins. Tiffert was good at what he did....but he often clashed on the pitch with Rosales. Mauro Rosales - The Captain. He showed up and sparked our team to the next level. 65 games and he aren't the same when he's not on the pitch. The only player that means more to the team than him is Ozzie Alonso. Sharlie Joseph - an ageing MLS veteran who was known as the best CDM in MLS before Alonso showed up. He reduced his contract in order to make room for his former teammate. Obafemi Martins - Its early yet for him. 8 Games into his sounders career he has already lived up to the expectation with 4 goals and an assist. he's brought a new energy, and a new style to the team.

Besides Ljungberg we haven't had a player with the hype that Dempsey has....not on the American Soccer fan level. Soccer fans in the US knew of Ljungberg cause he played for Arsenal...he played with Henry and the Invincible's....Non of the other players even come close to being a house hold name. Not like Dempsey.

Dempsey to Seattle is great for the Sounders. They are in dire need and he becomes one of the top players in the league. I'm a bit puzzled why, at 28, he chose this move. I'm certain he helped orchestrate it with the arrival of Soldado. But he returns as a hero to some degree.

I don't necessarily see this as a huge move for the MLS. Its a great player returning home in his prime. If the Sounders got Soldado (or Suarez) then we could start ringing church bells.

This is really just Dempsey choosing to come home. Good for him, good for the MLS and great for Seattle.

I hope we can hold on to EJ, I'm thinking the game up in Seattle for the USMNT and EJ had a lot to do with Dempsey coming to Seattle.

I may be crazy, but with the amount of talent on the team now, I'm wondering if somewhere down the line there will be increase in the minimum contacts and/or DP slots in the next few years. We just seem to have so much talent on the roster that should be making good money. Frankly, 80-90% of MLS players are grossly underpaid and soccer has taken over as my 2nd favorite sport behind NFL and I believe that a lot of people are starting to go that way in the US, but without the talent, most people do not care about the MLS. This is why I believe there has to be something in the plans to be able to pay players more.

Either way I'm excited about this move and can't wait to see him play for us.

Uncle Si wrote:Dempsey to Seattle is great for the Sounders. They are in dire need and he becomes one of the top players in the league. I'm a bit puzzled why, at 28, he chose this move. I'm certain he helped orchestrate it with the arrival of Soldado. But he returns as a hero to some degree.

I don't necessarily see this as a huge move for the MLS. Its a great player returning home in his prime. If the Sounders got Soldado (or Suarez) then we could start ringing church bells.

This is really just Dempsey choosing to come home. Good for him, good for the MLS and great for Seattle.

Clint is 30, I think that changes the picture ever so slightly. Puts him on the tail end of "in his prime."

Anyway, this whole move goes back to the USMNT game that was in Seattle. The week prior to the game Clint was asked about the crowd here in Seattle and said he'd heard about it from EJ and others and was waiting to get a chance to play in front of it....

...after the game EJ came out and said "I'm not naming names, but some of the guys said it would be a dream to play in front of this crowd every game."

After EJ made those comments, Sounders fans immediately jumped on the possibility of Clint Dempsey to Sounders....in 4 years when he was done chasing his dream of UCL glory.

Then everything went quiet.....then news hit that Spurs had transfer listed Dempsey......48 hours of #DempseyWatch later and we have multiple news outlets reporting the signing...

I hope we can hold on to EJ, I'm thinking the game up in Seattle for the USMNT and EJ had a lot to do with Dempsey coming to Seattle.

I may be crazy, but with the amount of talent on the team now, I'm wondering if somewhere down the line there will be increase in the minimum contacts and/or DP slots in the next few years. We just seem to have so much talent on the roster that should be making good money. Frankly, 80-90% of MLS players are grossly underpaid and soccer has taken over as my 2nd favorite sport behind NFL and I believe that a lot of people are starting to go that way in the US, but without the talent, most people do not care about the MLS. This is why I believe there has to be something in the plans to be able to pay players more.

Either way I'm excited about this move and can't wait to see him play for us.

Salary cap goes up every year, and they have been pretty decent at incorperating new DP slots. I wouldn't be surprised if next season we get a 4th DP slot.

Here's my hope for MLS. That more teams are owned by overseas ownership. Generally that's not a great thing for sports teams. But in this case, getting European, Russian, Middle Eastern, etc, ownership groups who are used to spending big on football clubs is the only way we'll ever get the level of play up to where we want it to be. The Sounders and Galaxy spending big is a good start. But we need more. If the MLS can get even close to competitive with some of the top leagues in the world, it won't have a hard time getting players.

Dempsey is reportedly being unveiled tonight at 7:15 before the game starts. There will be coverage of it on SoundersFC.com, the pregame show on KONG, and I've heard reports that NBCSN will be doing a break away show to air it.

It is also possible that his ITC could have cleared as early as Tuesday....making him eligible to play tonight (I Don't think he will....but its possible).

SeaTown81 wrote:Man City is going to own the new New York FC team, right?

Here's my hope for MLS. That more teams are owned by overseas ownership. Generally that's not a great thing for sports teams. But in this case, getting European, Russian, Middle Eastern, etc, ownership groups who are used to spending big on football clubs is the only way we'll ever get the level of play up to where we want it to be. The Sounders and Galaxy spending big is a good start. But we need more. If the MLS can get even close to competitive with some of the top leagues in the world, it won't have a hard time getting players.

The trick is getting there before we go under....that caused the fall of the NASL....and we can't have that happen again.

Also, New York Red Bulls has also spend considerable amounts of money...

Great input guys, with regards to the allocation and DP issues. Regardless of how the whole thing shakes out, I can't wait to come up for the Timbers v Sounders game in Seattle at the end of August. It's always weird going to that match. It's the one time when CLink isn't my home.

Sarlacc83 wrote:All I have to say is: I hope this wastes all sorts of money and time for the Sounders.

Carry on, gents.

Edit: It's beginning to look like the MLS ignored it's own rules and passed over the Timbers' rights. So, a potential big middle finger to them.

Accusing the MLS of ignoring their own rules in this case is incorrect. Dempsey is a Designated Player and therefore not subject to the allocation process. So, as much as opposing fans would like to vilify the Sounders for this coup, there's no legitimate basis for doing so.

Sarlacc83 wrote:All I have to say is: I hope this wastes all sorts of money and time for the Sounders.

Carry on, gents.

Edit: It's beginning to look like the MLS ignored it's own rules and passed over the Timbers' rights. So, a potential big middle finger to them.

Accusing the MLS of ignoring their own rules in this case is incorrect. Dempsey is a Designated Player and therefore not subject to the allocation process. So, as much as opposing fans would like to vilify the Sounders for this coup, there's no legitimate basis for doing so.

You're going to have to show where that is in the rules, because Clint Dempsey is a former MLS player coming from abroad, so as the rules are written, he should go through the allocation process. See below.

usc17hawk wrote:Is it also possible that the Timbers could not afford to pay the transfer fee?

That's possible. But if that's the case, then why would they let their dire rival have the transfer for free? They'd expect compensation from a non-rival, let alone the Sounders, and it's possible they'd deal the rights to another team that's not an immediate threat for a double whammy. Also, it depends on how accurate the third linked article is when it comes to the transfer fee.